Man accused of attempted homicide

An 18-year-old Wysox male has been charged with attempted criminal homicide after he fired approximately nine bullets Sunday at a vehicle that was traveling in front of his residence, one of which struck the driver's baseball cap, police said.

John Caleb Boone fired a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle at the vehicle, which was occupied by six males who had just left a party at Boone's residence on Glen Road, state police at Towanda said.

The driver, 19-year-old Alabama resident Leman Summerlin, provided the following account of the incident to the state police, according to court papers that the state police have filed in Wysox District Court:

Summerlin and his five passengers, who are also from Alabama, had gone to Boone's house for a party at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Sunday.

An argument took place at the residence, which was unrelated to Summerlin, and everybody was told to leave the residence.

A male at the residence said that this was his residence and that they had to leave or he would get his gun.

Summerlin got into his Ford F250 crew cab truck, but one of his friends had forgotten his jacket, so Summerlin left the vehicle and approached the front door, where he was met by a female who told him to get out of there because "he has his gun."

Summerlin returned to his vehicle and he and his friends pulled out of the driveway and drove north on Glen Road, when they should have traveled south to return to Towanda.

Summerlin turned the vehicle around and began to drive south on Glen Road.

Summerlin drove past the residence they had just left and observed a white male, approximately 5'7" to 5'9", wearing a blue "Yankee" hat with a flat brim, who was standing in front of the residence.

Summerlin heard approximately eight to nine gunshots and continued to travel south on Glen Road and returned to the Towanda Motel in Towanda.

During the shooting, one of the bullets entered the truck's rear window, grazed Summerlin's baseball cap, which he was wearing at the time, and struck the front windshield.

State police said that Summerlin's cap had damage that indicated the bullet's direction of travel, according to a criminal complaint that the state police filed in Wysox District Court against Boone.

State police said they examined Summerlin's vehicle and saw that approximately five bullets had struck the vehicle.

The vehicle had bullet holes on the passenger side near the front tire well, on the passenger side front door, on the passenger side rear door, on the passenger side near the rear door, and the rear window, police said.

Summerlin was not injured, state police said.

State police said they arrested Boone later on Sunday when they saw him driving a black Audi near his residence.

According to the criminal complaint, Boone gave police the following account of the incident:

Boone had a party at his residence and Summerlin and his friends had showed up at the party.

Boone told Summerlin and his friends to leave the residence, and one member of Summerlin's group told Boone to "come outside."

Boone followed the group outside and saw them get into Summerlin's truck and heard the truck start.

Boone heard glass breaking and assumed people in Summerlin's group were throwing beer bottles.

Boone saw the vehicle travel north on Glen Road and then the vehicle turned around and traveled past his residence, slowing down in front of the house.

Boone, who had retrieved his Smith & Wesson .22-caliber rifle from his friend's vehicle, pointed the gun at Summerlin's vehicle and shot 10 to 15 times in the direction of Summerlin's vehicle.

Boone told police that he didn't think he hit the vehicle and only wanted to scare the people in it, according to the criminal complaint.

Boone was arraigned on Sunday by Troy Magisterial District Judge Jonathan Wilcox. Boone was then sent to the Bradford County jail in lieu of $600,000 bail.

Boone must attend a preliminary hearing on Oct. 30 before Wysox Magisterial District Judge Fred Wheaton.

Contact The Daily Review's newsroom at (570) 265-1632 or reviewnews@thedailyreview.com.

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